Monday, September 27, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Artist Bio / Inspiration
My love for animation, like most others, started by falling in love with Disney movies at a very young age. These interests and affection for art landed me in an art magnet High-school in Miami, Florida called “Design and Architecture Senior High.” Here I was able to develop my skills and broaden my horizons in different fields of design. My affinity for costume design granted me the ability to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, New York. I fell in love with New York City, but after some internships and a merchandising job, I found myself missing the fun that comes with the creation of art. The costuming aspect of films is filled with more styling and buying wardrobe than actually creating something new from scratch. I finished my Associates Degree and returned to Miami to figure out what the next step was. When I returned, I visited my old high-school and some of the teachers pointed me in the direction of the College for Creative Studies.
Upon my first semester I already felt like I was on the right path. My basic studies in art were renewed and I was delighted to be creating again. Creating worlds in three dimensional forms is much more rewarding. Being a part of the development of a film that will reach the masses is overwhelming. I like the idea that I could one day influence someone the way films have influenced me. Films, animated or live action, have been a part of my daily life since I can remember. As a child I use to pick out one movie a week and fall asleep to it every night.
I find that even bad films can teach you what you don’t like about films and what to stay away from. Watching movies for me is an emotional experience. I’ve always had trouble dealing with emotion. I felt when I zoned out while watching a film that I was meditating and allowing the film to consume me with whatever overpowering feeling it was portraying. The fact that a film can involve the viewer so much that the audience will react according to what is going on on-screen astonishes me. It’s the reason I want to be a part of the film industry.
Maybe because the complexity of my personal life, I tend to lean towards complex projects; raising the bar just that much higher. My work is in three dimensional form and has a realistic style, which again I feel will help influence the viewer. It gives the audience visual stimuli that they can directly relate to. I have always been a fan of making something realistic, surreal. It’s the root of my art. I like taking something I have direct reference to and modifying into another dimension.
Because of my mother’s influence, I have formulated very strong opinions over the years on almost any topic. Though they are rooted in my mind, there is always room for upheaval and growth. I can find my reference from inanimate objects to people. I enjoy having conversations with a diverse group. Because I have worked in hospitality for almost 7 years I have been able to meet all kinds of people. If I ever need to invoke any type of character, I feel that I have a good foundation for shaping their image correctly. If I lack the knowledge to do so I will find it. There are an infinite amount of perspectives in the world. It is like hearing all sides of a story. Because I have been able to see the basic influence, my family, for the Shutters first-hand, I have been able to capture each characters essence. That is why I feel that in order to continue growing as an artist; I need to continue learning different cultures by traveling, watching more films, and simply experiencing life. I feel that animation is a way for creating alternate lives. How can I give life to new worlds if I haven’t even explored my own? Therefore, I will continue to trudge up the mountain and hopefully one day I’ll be able to look down and see all I’ve created and all I’ve influenced.
The Shutters takes every facet of myself and creates a short film out of my lifetime becoming an artist. I’ve taken the most influential parts of myself, my family and film, and driven all my emotion and energy into a very fulfilling project. The project itself is tedious and complex: how I feel life is. Life is not some easy journey that we nonchalantly carry through and become easily accomplished or fulfilled. It is a slope that we bravely conquer or quickly plunder to the depths. The choice is ours to continue. Therefore, I trudge forward. Maybe my work won’t create world peace or provide the answer to the ultimate question, but perhaps it will only improve the quality of life and give someone an emotional break for a couple of minutes from their stressful day.
Upon my first semester I already felt like I was on the right path. My basic studies in art were renewed and I was delighted to be creating again. Creating worlds in three dimensional forms is much more rewarding. Being a part of the development of a film that will reach the masses is overwhelming. I like the idea that I could one day influence someone the way films have influenced me. Films, animated or live action, have been a part of my daily life since I can remember. As a child I use to pick out one movie a week and fall asleep to it every night.
I find that even bad films can teach you what you don’t like about films and what to stay away from. Watching movies for me is an emotional experience. I’ve always had trouble dealing with emotion. I felt when I zoned out while watching a film that I was meditating and allowing the film to consume me with whatever overpowering feeling it was portraying. The fact that a film can involve the viewer so much that the audience will react according to what is going on on-screen astonishes me. It’s the reason I want to be a part of the film industry.
Maybe because the complexity of my personal life, I tend to lean towards complex projects; raising the bar just that much higher. My work is in three dimensional form and has a realistic style, which again I feel will help influence the viewer. It gives the audience visual stimuli that they can directly relate to. I have always been a fan of making something realistic, surreal. It’s the root of my art. I like taking something I have direct reference to and modifying into another dimension.
Because of my mother’s influence, I have formulated very strong opinions over the years on almost any topic. Though they are rooted in my mind, there is always room for upheaval and growth. I can find my reference from inanimate objects to people. I enjoy having conversations with a diverse group. Because I have worked in hospitality for almost 7 years I have been able to meet all kinds of people. If I ever need to invoke any type of character, I feel that I have a good foundation for shaping their image correctly. If I lack the knowledge to do so I will find it. There are an infinite amount of perspectives in the world. It is like hearing all sides of a story. Because I have been able to see the basic influence, my family, for the Shutters first-hand, I have been able to capture each characters essence. That is why I feel that in order to continue growing as an artist; I need to continue learning different cultures by traveling, watching more films, and simply experiencing life. I feel that animation is a way for creating alternate lives. How can I give life to new worlds if I haven’t even explored my own? Therefore, I will continue to trudge up the mountain and hopefully one day I’ll be able to look down and see all I’ve created and all I’ve influenced.
The Shutters takes every facet of myself and creates a short film out of my lifetime becoming an artist. I’ve taken the most influential parts of myself, my family and film, and driven all my emotion and energy into a very fulfilling project. The project itself is tedious and complex: how I feel life is. Life is not some easy journey that we nonchalantly carry through and become easily accomplished or fulfilled. It is a slope that we bravely conquer or quickly plunder to the depths. The choice is ours to continue. Therefore, I trudge forward. Maybe my work won’t create world peace or provide the answer to the ultimate question, but perhaps it will only improve the quality of life and give someone an emotional break for a couple of minutes from their stressful day.
Treatment
The Shutters
Story by Joanna Bronson
September 16, 2010
Concept
In photographer, Maggie Shutters, closet (in her home) lives a family of women cameras that have each been forgotten and stored away every time Maggie upgrades her camera. Steps is a male camera and the latest addition to the closet. Through his perspective the story unfolds of his life and the impact of living with this family of women. The women all live out their lives until their last piece of film deteriorates and marks the end of each of them. In the end Steps is able to have one last happy moment in a gallery being commemorated with his family’s life’s work.
Theme
Steps learns the real meaning of life. His societal influenced ideals of the fast paced high life become a long lost materialistic idea as he learns the real meaning of life, love, and women.
Characters
Steps - Main character that dictates the story about the Shutter household. He is an instant Polaroid camera
(1980’s, NYC) who discards his materialistic lifestyle to become part of the Shutter family. His personality is of an urban pop culture New Yorker. He use to running with and capturing the highlights of a popular crowd.
Lady Liza. a.k.a. Ma - Mother camera (box camera, 1920’s) that takes care of the two younger daughter cameras. She is left to Maggie from Maggie’s father. She takes Steps into her family and treats him as a son. Her personality springs from her era of a jazz influenced, liberal woman. She is the cornerstone of the Shutter family.
Steen – (Isolette, 1950’s) The eldest daughter (Teenager), Art deco camera. Constantly fights with youngest sister. Has the biggest view lens, opts for the most attention and has the most heard voice.
Page - Youngest sister (1970’s) 35 mm camera. Pre-teen. She is curious and grows attached to Steps, constantly following him and wanting to play. Her personality is semi hyper, cool, and sweet.
Maggie Shutters - Photographer and owner of all the cameras. Only her hands are seen in the end of the film when the cameras pass away and she packs them away and sends them to a gallery where they are put on display with all the photos they ever took. Some portraits of her and her family are shown in the gallery.
Synopsis
The story is about a family of women cameras that help each other cope with being forgotten by their owner, Maggie Shutters, who stores them away, and continues to upgrade her camera as she gets older. They form a bond and love for each other. The story is told from the perspective of the latest addition of the family a male Polaroid camera named Steps.
Steps came from capturing a life in the fast lane. However, after living with these women he learns the values of love and family. But all life must come to an end in time. Each camera has a certain amount of film rolls left, once they run out the each camera will pass away. As time passes and more junk gets stored into the closet, dust and cobwebs collect around the family. As time passes Steps, being the last member of the family living, watches more junk gets stored into the closet, while dust and cobwebs collect around his family. Surprisingly one day the closet door opens and he along with the rest of his family are taken from the closet, put into a box and sent to a gallery. There they are put on display along with the lifetime of their work both outside and inside the closet. Steps gazes upon his lost family and hugs them proudly. The last shot is a photo of this most unusual family while they were happy in their prime, together at home.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
The Shutters
For all the forgotten treasures in your closets, I give to you the story of the Shutters. It is my thesis for my senior 3d animated film at the College for Creative Studies 2010.
Maggie Shutters, a photographer, upgrades her camera every decade or so from 1910 through the 1980's and during this time she tends to store all her old cameras as well as other tangible items one collects in life in her junk closet. Little does she know that her forgotten cameras come together to form their own relationships. The story is told through the eyes of the latest addition to the family Steps: an urban Polaroid camera. Prior to his arrival the mother camera Ma, a 1920's box camera, looks after the sister cameras, Steen, a 1940's folding camera, and Page, a 1960-70's 35mm camera.
Maggie Shutters, a photographer, upgrades her camera every decade or so from 1910 through the 1980's and during this time she tends to store all her old cameras as well as other tangible items one collects in life in her junk closet. Little does she know that her forgotten cameras come together to form their own relationships. The story is told through the eyes of the latest addition to the family Steps: an urban Polaroid camera. Prior to his arrival the mother camera Ma, a 1920's box camera, looks after the sister cameras, Steen, a 1940's folding camera, and Page, a 1960-70's 35mm camera.
The story is about Steps acclimating to his new life in the closet away from the outside world where a camera is meant to shine while capturing moments in time in a unique and unchanging way. It isn’t easy for Steps to be out of the lime light away from the stereotypical and materialistic status that one comes to envy in life but he soon finds out that these women offer him a life more fulfilling than he had ever imagined.
Ma
Steen
Page
Steps
Closet Startup
Steps 1980's Room
Living Room
Ma's 1920's Room
Steen/Page 1940's-1970's Room
I start texturing this week but I have about 40 more props (models and alpha channels) that I need to integrate before I start animating. Giving myself a little over a month to finish the set and all the texturing.
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